Uppercut Princess (The Heights Crew #1)(19)

I search the crowd behind Cherry, looking for Rocket and hoping he was the guy cozying up to her before the fight. At the same time, I’m begging for him to appear so I can be sure he’s watching, I’m also wondering how many girls he’s fucking. The secretary at the school, for sure. Cherry, obviously.

Get a fucking grip, I scold myself. Rocket’s sex life is none of my concern. Nor is Brawler’s, or anyone else’s for that matter. I’m only interested in him being here because he needs to see me kick his girl’s ass. He and Brawler need to give me more fights, so I can move up and make my way as a serious player for the Heights Crew.

Brawler steps into the middle of the ring. His lips move, but I look past him toward Cherry. She winks, still smirking over her Mom comment. A rush of nothing but rage fills me. How dare anyone here mention her. A storm rages inside my head until Brawler steps back and yells, “Fight!” Then, the storm unleashes.

My plans have left the building.

I rush her. Her eyes flare with anticipation, but she isn’t good. I’m fast and skilled. She’s just an amateur, a wannabe competitor dangling from the coattails of Rocket. I slip under her lame ass attempt at a punch, pop back up, and give a good right hook to her fucking ribs.

The crowd gasps. Sure, Cherry’s not their number one fighter. I get that. I was just a gimme to her, a steppingstone. Someone she could use to climb the trellis of the Heights Crew hierarchy. Well, good fucking luck after this, you dirty fucking hoe bag bitch.

I step back after my body reacts on autopilot. My fist connecting with her midsection a third time brings me back to reality. I can’t just come out here and kick her ass. Not until I’m sure Rocket’s here. Trying to stifle my reaction, I leave my hands down at my waist and look petrified at what I just did.

“You cunt,” she seethes, blinking

She lunges for me, and I let her. She gets in two good punches before I veer around her, bringing my forearms up to block my face. Brawler eyes me from the outskirts of the crowd. I definitely didn’t do a good job of hiding my prowess. He saw my initial attack for what it was. A deliberate, skilled offense.

Cherry pulls on my shoulders and lands a knee to my gut. With her mouth near my ear, she says, “You piece of fucking trash. Bitches like you don’t make it in the Heights. Consider me your gatekeeper, and you’re not in.”

Her confidence is growing. Good. I look past her arm, scanning the crowd again until I finally see him. There. Exactly who I need to see this. Now that I have Rocket’s attention, I push past her hold, slip under her and then lock my arm around her outside forearm, holding her in place as I batter the side of her head with hard-hitting blows. Every time she tries to squirm out of it, I move with her, keeping out of her reach while she’s well within mine.

She’s not so talkative anymore. Now that she’s getting her head beat in.

I trip her and throw her to the ground. She lands on her back and stares up at me, wide-eyed. Her skimpy bra has inched lower, showing the top half of her areola, but she’s not giving a shit about flashing the crowd right now. She runs her hands over her face, wincing when it meets the cut I’ve given her over her eye.

I glance up again, staring at the most important person in the room. He glares at me with dark eyes, and I shed my oversized shirt, throwing it to the ground as he eyes me.

Brawler may make the fights happen, but Rocket is the true leader here. Everyone takes their orders from above, and short of Big Daddy K himself being here, Rocket’s number one.

The crowd nearly trips over itself. Comments start flying, and the decibels double from the roaring and clapping. I’ve kept my toned physique under wraps from the wannabes at school. I needed to play this my way. None of this would’ve happened if they knew I could fight. Nevaeh wouldn’t have challenged me and Rocket certainly wouldn’t have pushed his number one contender to be the one to welcome me to the Heights.

I don’t mind being the underdog as long as I come out on top, and I’ll always come out on top.

Cherry tries to scramble to her feet. Real fear blazes in her eyes. They bulged out of her sockets when she saw me take my shirt off. Now, she’s running scared. I kick her as she tries to move away from me, and she sprawls out again. She flips to her back, and when I move in, she tries to kick me in the face, but I throw her feet to the side and pounce on her, elbowing her in the nose, feeling the sharp bone of my own body connect with hers. At this point, I don’t even care that Brawler’s in the room or Rocket or any of the other fuckers I have to go to school with every day. This is just about me. This is just about my plan. About my vengeance.

Next thing I know, I’m being pulled off her. The tangy, copper taste of blood taints my mouth. I reach up with my fingers to touch my lips and realize it’s not mine. It’s Cherry’s. I spit the shit out and glance up to lock gazes with Johnny Rocket who’s finally moved to stand on the outskirts of the circle.

“Fucking shit,” Brawler mumbles behind me, his fingers tightening around my upper arm, letting me know he was the one to put a stop to the fight.

I blink, moving to stare down at an unmoving Cherry. She’s not dead. I don’t think, anyway. If she was, it wouldn’t matter to me. I have only one job here at Rawley Heights, and she was in my way.

Rocket doesn’t even spare her a glance. He moves toward me, stepping over her feet like she’s just an inconvenience to him. Brawler tries to tow me backward, but Rocket holds his hand up to stop him. Mirth dances in Johnny’s eyes. He reaches down to take my hand, squeezing my fingers in his. “It’s nice to formally meet you, Kyla. I enjoy surprises.”